Tuesday, 30 July 2013

You may have seen Asda's online campaign to #SAVESUMMER and if you have there is a chance that you may have seen Isla and Noah on the website. We were lucky enough to take part in some of the activities that feature in the campaign and so I thought I would share some of them with you as they really are good fun for the kids over those LOOOONG Summer holidays!One of our favourites was the Angry Birds Water Balloon game. It's really simple.

Chalk out some bad piggies

Fill up your balloons (fill them as full as you can - they might bounce rather than burst if you don't!)

Draw angry bird faces on the balloons

Ready, Aim, Fire and wipe out the Bad Piggies!

Check out the campaign here for other ideas and on social media look out for the hashtag #SAVESUMMER to see other peoples efforts and similarly if you do have a go then share them and tag them with #SAVESUMMER too and your efforts can feature on the Asda website too.

Monday, 29 July 2013

Yesterday we went on 'A Day Out with Thomas' at the Kent and East Sussex Railway. Noah is a fan of Thomas and I thought that this would be perfect for him and I also admit I was excited about the day too. I love giving the kids a thoroughly fun day out and I can hand on my heart say this was one family day to remember!

I had booked us on the first steam train ride of the day at 10.25am which meant us leaving the house at 8.30am (nice early start!) so we were there for the half an hour before departure that the ticket suggested. On arrival we saw The Fat Controller and also Charlie the Clown entertaining the crowd prior to getting on the train. Thomas wheeshed into Tenterden Station, and it felt really magical. I’m a bit soft since becoming a mum and I actually felt a bit emotional – good grief! The kid’s faces lit up and then we hurried to the platform to get a better look at him. Thomas wasn’t actually taking us on our steam engine journey, that was down to another train and at 10.25 we set off on our travels, which took us along the line 10 and a half miles to Northiam Station.

It felt like going back in time. The carriages were old and quaint and I loved the feeling of a bygone era that I got. I checked on the KESR website and the railway and station have been used in TV and film, which is no surprise. We took picnic food with us, so we munched on some muffins and took advantage of the buffet cart that came around for a cuppa. We bought Isla and Noah a flag each at £1.50 a go. They enjoyed waving to the people waiting in their cars at level crossings, the people at the platforms we went past and spotting the cows and other such countryside animals. The train goes to Northiam, stops for a bit and then makes its way back to Tenterden.

Once we got back to Tenterden we enjoyed all the other things that were included in the ticket price. They both had unlimited goes on the bouncy castle and the merry-go-round. Isla loved the Punch and Judy and children’s entertainer, especially when he performed the magic trick making a rabbit appear in a box. She was a fully participating audience member shouting out and getting involved. We also got our photo taken with The Fat Controller who was on hand all day looking super important in his top hat and tails! Charlie the Clown stopped us at one point and got Isla to perform some magic which she loved and he aimed a few jibes at Mummy and Daddy which made her laugh too. Thomas did do some rides during the afternoon but we missed out on these.

On site you can buy food which is reasonably priced and there are picnic benches to sit and eat at. We found the little grassy play area where there was a wooden train that all the kids were playing on and sat there to eat our lunch. As the area was quite small it made a nice change for us grown-ups to be able to sit down and eat lunch and have the kids within eye-shot and not have to follow them around.

We had a look around the shop after we’d eaten some ice-creams and Isla had watched the children’s entertainer for the second time (!) and they both came away with something – Noah chose a die-cast ‘Hank’ and Isla a cuddly rabbit (yes I know not really very train themed!) and I also purchased a Thomas book that I got Christopher Awdry to sign – he is the son of the Rev W Awdry, the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine and the reason for the stories coming about as they were told to him by his father when he was ill as a boy.

Our ticket was £44 for a family of 4 and I think that was such good value for everything that was included in the ticket price. I loved that the event didn’t seem oversubscribed, they hadn’t crammed in too many people and so there weren’t queues for the other attractions. There was a lovely family feel to the day and we enjoyed every minute!

Sunday, 28 July 2013

We were lucky enough to be sent a copy of the Ella’s
Kitchen - The Red One Cook Book to review. It is packed full of yummy ideas for making
mealtimes fun for all the family!

There are over 100 recipes in this book for littlies and big
kids. The instructions are simple and the emphasis is on getting children hands
on and messy in the kitchen from a young age.

I love that this is more than a recipe book and also
contains fun ideas and activities that get the kids involved with food other
than at mealtimes. There are grow your own ideas, a fun activity to get the kids planting their own food, decorating the flower pots, watching it grow and eating the produce. Ideas for role play setting up a kids cafe, encouraging the children to use their imagination to make up their own menu and create fake food.

So far we have cooked 3 of the meals in the book. This is the Zingy Lamb and Cous Cous with Mangoes and Raisins. It was delicious!

We have also cooked Cosy Cottage Pie and Magical Moroccan-style Chicken. They were both also really tasty meals, so tasty in fact that I totally forgot to get any photos of them and they were eaten in no time!! We were always big fans of Ella's Kitchen while weaning Noah and so it's really great that we can continue to feel supported by them as he goes through toddlerhood. However don't think that these meals can only be eaten by toddlers as that is far from the truth, we have all enjoyed what we've made so far as a family. The recipes are really easy to follow and simple to make. There is nothing complicated about it and the timings are shown really clearly for each recipe, so if you know you only have half an hour then it's really easy to see which meal is more suited to the time you have to prepare that evening. We haven't tried any of the sweet recipes as yet, but they are next on the list of things to try out, I've got my eye on the Carroty Cakes, what better way to get some of that important Vitamin A.

Friday, 26 July 2013

Taking place from 16 to 18 August, the incredible line-up – all aimed at children under the age of 10 – combines some of the hottest names in kids entertainment, as well as hundreds of activities, workshops and interactive areas.

LolliBop's live theatre tent – The Lollipalladiam - showcases performances from pioneering and internationally renowned companies and artists. Tween Town is especially for older kids, with cool activities like radio workshops, movie editing and beatboxing masterclasses. Imagination Stations are situated throughout the festival for 3-10 year olds to get crafty, there's also a 3ft and under zone for pre-schoolers. The Enchanted Forest will host reading and stories, and there's also a brand new Discovery Zone, Meadows area, Lolli Promenade and much more.

LolliBop offers all the fun of a festival without the hassle of camping and all activity is programmed for the under 10s. For more information and tickets, visit http://www.lollibopfestival.co.uk

We've got one family pass to give away to this brilliant festival. To enter, follow the instructions on the rafflecopter widget below
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions

The competition closes Sunday August 4th at MidnightWe have one family pass to giveaway. The pass admits 4 people, one person in the group must be aged over 18 (NB children under the age of 12 months do not require a ticket)The winning family can attend on the day of their choice, either August 16, or August 17 or August 18. The date must be specified at time of confirming the prizeTravel and accommodation are not includedThe prize is non-refundable and no cash alternative will be offeredThe prize is non transferable and ID will be required at time of collecting the ticketsThe prize includes all events and activities at LolliBop but not food and drink from any stalls or outlet

Monday, 22 July 2013

So this past week has been all about the birthdays! First it was Noah's, he turned 2 and then it was Isla's and she turned 4. I feel like it's a bit of an end of an era with Isla as she starts school in September and so this is her last pre-school birthday. I also feel like time has gone too fast. As parents we're always looking to the next milestone, wishing they could do this and do that but actually we should celebrate the now more. I absolutely love the age she is at now. She is fun, she is sweet, she is loud, she is cheeky. She's a challenge at times, she can be a bit over emotional, she hasn't got a hint of self consciousness yet. All that said, I am looking forward to school coming up and watching her blossom and learn about the wider world.

We've done loads of fun things for their birthdays but I'd say the best bit was on Saturday when a good friend of mine came over, he runs Bezerkaz Circus and gave Isla and Noah and their best friends a circus party in the garden. I've known Shaun for over 20 years, so it was really lovely to get together with all our kids and have some fun and see what he does for a living these days. There was juggling, plate spinning, unicycle riding, giant bubbles, accordion playing, diablo, acrobatics, face painting, balloon modelling and last but not least fire juggling and fire eating! It was all really exciting and we all (adults included) were wowed by the giant bubbles!Here's are the photos from our day:

You can read about Bezerkaz Circus in my previous blog post and check out their website here. AAAAND there is a rather exciting Summer of Adventures competition on the Nick Jnr website at the moment to win a Bubble Workshop with Bezerkaz Circus. Give it a go as I can say with much enthusiasm that the kids loved the giant bubbles on Saturday and so did the adults! This is not a sponsored post, I've not been paid to write about this, it was just a really brilliant afternoon spent with talented friends who know a thing or two about entertaining little ones!

Saturday, 20 July 2013

Since having the kids spending on me has dwindled considerably and if ever I run into trouble on a shopping trip with finding myself something to wear then my default shopping habit is to buy something for the children instead. I've also recently discovered through a shopping trip for kids footwear that not only do Clarks sell well made shoes for children, the high quality leather from Clarks also extends to the adult ranges. A few months back I went to the sales to see if there was anything that would be suitable for Isla and wonder of wonders I didn't actually buy anything for her, I bought these fabulous Clarks shoes. FOR ME!

I ummed and ahhed over them. Firstly, I don't buy shoes very often, my feet are ginormous at size 8 and generally anything I like isn't available in my size. I am almost a giantess at 5 foot 11 inches, so anything with a heel is out too, so I tend to stick to the old faithful choice of trainers most of the time. On this day however everything I liked was available in my size and the only thing I had to get over was the fact that I felt a bit weird wearing shoes. In the end I realised that I couldn't leave the shop without them. But then what followed was that it dawned on me that I had absolutely nothing to wear with these fabulous shiny new shoes, so I then *HAD* to buy 3 new dresses to go with them (I don't usually do dresses either!). In effect during that one small shopping trip I had initiated a complete overhaul (yes 3 new dresses constitutes use of the word overhaul - I don't own masses of clothing!) of my wardrobe and usual style.I wore these shoes and one of my new dresses to work and for once I felt 'grown up'. I'm very casual at work usually but for at a week solid I was rocking my new shoes paired up with dresses and Isla also loved this change in her Mummy - she loves dresses and is most pleased when I'm donning one in the morning. This pair of shoes was the jog I needed to get my act together and try and make more of an effort with my appearance. Shoes like these insist on wearing something smarter and it had an effect on my mental attitude as well. I felt altogether more productive. Money well spent for so many different reasons!Funny how I didn't set out to buy anything for myself that day, I only thought that Clarks shoes were good for kids. How wrong could I have been?This is a commissioned post

Saturday, 13 July 2013

Turning two. It's quite a milestone 2 years old. It's the cut off point of being a baby. He's well and truly a toddler now and don't we know it. The mood swings. Oh he can be the cutest, funniest little bloke around but other times he is the most frustrated, angry monster. He is a total Mummy's boy and he's never satisfied unless he is hanging off my leg. This behaviour has alerted the Daddy's girl in our house to my existence and so I now have them both competing for my undivided attention. I am flattered but it is exhausting too. He talks non stop. Giving his little orders and instructions and coming out with some really funny remarks. He's stringing 6 or 7 words together and tries so hard to be understood. He even knows we take the mickey out of him for his ridiculous use of the phrase "never, ever, ANYMORE"!

He's currently in the grip of a LighteningMcQueen obsession. He has two Cars T-shirts that he would live in 24/7! He also loves the Dustbin lorry, and watches it out the window every Monday morning and waves to all the bin men.

There is so much more to find out about this boy and I look forward to watching him grow and hopefully the tantrums lessoning as the year goes on. Love you Noah. Happy birthday!

Thursday, 11 July 2013

At the weekend we paid a visit to Mayfield Lavender, which is a wonderful Lavender Field near to us in Surrey. It’s an amazing sight as you drive along the road and suddenly your eyes are accosted by pure purpleness! It’s beautiful.

There was a weekend ‘Lavender Festival’ where the shop was full to bursting with gorgeous Lavender products, there were lavender massages, face painting and a delicious BBQ on the go. We last went to the field just over 3 years ago when Isla was 1 years old and we have this photo of the three of us that I love.

Us in 2010

So this time we went as a family of 4 and got a few shots. The field is really popular with Chinese people it seems, and they were very keen to have a photo with Noah! They seemed really taken with him and he loved their attentions – such a little flirt.

We had a little wander around the lavender, which smelt gorgeous, then we took advantage of the BBQ and had a few sausages and burgers between us. The kids both wanted a bundle of lavender each, they were £3.50, so we have some to dry out now. We also bumped into Maria and her family from Tiger Tales and I'm gutted that we didn't get a photo together! As is the way with Isla we couldn’t get away without a bit of face-painting. All in all it was a lovely way to spend a sunny couple of hours.

Entry to the field is free but I dare you to come away without buying something lovely from the little shop there.

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

This year’s Britmums Live was IMMENSE. I’m not going to go on about
the brands that were there, I just want to focus on the togetherness that I
felt over Friday and Saturday. It was a get together of people who may rarely meet in everyday life, but were there 'as one' with blogging in common. What I
love about us all as bloggers is the diversity. We can all learn from eachother
and in many of the sessions that was very much the case. There were sessions
where bloggers I love gave some very straight forward and insightful information
(Mummy Barrow, Mammasaurus, Actually Mummy and Tired Mummy of Two I’m talking about
you) on Social Media and Working with Brands.

The key moments for me over the conference were:

Katie Piper’s keynote: What a woman. She has been through so much yet she exudes positivity. I feel like her parents must be so proud of her and the way that she has turned her life around. She could have wallowed in the misfortune that befell her the day she was attacked but instead she has used it for the good of others. And what a sense of humour the girl has too!

The BiB’s: This was a very emotional part of Friday, the one winner that really stuck out for me was Tamsyn who blogs at Anecdotes of a Manic Mum. She is also a truly inspirational woman. After her husband Alex had a truly horrible rugby accident in France she has worked hard to campaign to get him home with the family (they have 4 children) to aid his rehabilitation. She's a real survivor and one of the strongest women I know in the blogging world.

The session I enjoyed most I think was a photography session
with Julia Boggio. Such an engaging lady (wearing a dress that my daughter
would love me to wear!) who gave brilliant tips on things like taking evening
photographs, where you have no natural light – can’t wait to get that tin foil
out and start trying to make my photos look a bit more professional.On the Saturday at the end of a great day of workshops and hanging out with fabulous people there were the blogger keynotes. Bloggers read out some really great posts but the most moving was a tribute that was originally read at the funeral of a baby called Matilda Mae who sadly died from SID's earlier this year. I can't possibly imagine how it feels to lose a young child but I do know that her passing away has touched a lot of people's lives. Her Mummy, Jennie is another example of a woman who has used the situation she has found herself in for the good of others by fundraising for the Lullaby Trust.

After the blogger keynotes on Saturday there was a tribute to Kerry (Multiple Mummy), who passed away at the end of last year. I only met Kerry once but she was a fun loving person and devoted Mummy. Marking her absence was so emotional and I really felt overcome thinking of my own family and how lucky I am. As everyone came together at the end to sing Firework my overwhelming feeling was that I had had a totally amazing two days but that I wanted to get back home to see my gorgeous children, who were part of the reason I started blogging in the first place.

Thanks to Look Again for sponsoring me to go to Britmums
this year, I have them to thank for my ticket and a bed for the night. I had a blast!

Monday, 8 July 2013

Yesterday was a special day for me and OH, it was our 6 year
wedding anniversary and we went out to celebrate. We went out in the daytime
though for lunch as this was easier to organise babysitting for and that point very much illustrates how nowadays we struggle to get out as a couple and so
instead we try to have a good night in, rather than a good night out! We wanted
to carry on the wedding anniversary vibe and so we used £50 that MoneySupermarket
recently gave us to have “A Big Night In” to do something very different to the
last time and instead of getting dolled up to stay in and have cocktails we
decided to have a leisurely, relaxing night in. This was much deserved after a bad night with Noah, a trip
to London for lunch, back to run around with the kids for a couple of hours in
the garden whilst keeping an eye on the Wimbledon tennis final and then a crazy
bedtime where the kids were too hot and wouldn’t settle to sleep for over an
hour. Just as the hysterical laughter from upstairs started to wain we visibly
unwound.

We slobbed out in in new pyjamas!

ACTUAL Fresh pizza making! (it was hot, by way of explanation of topless OH!)

Made homemade fresh pizzas (the kids helped with making the
dough for these!), which we'd never done before and was fun, messy, took longer to make than we thought they would (we were waiting on the yeast to prove) but were totally delicious.

Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza

And watched a chick-flick - just proving what a wonderful husband he is by letting me watch my choice of film! We had homemade popcorn
and a cheeky rum and Coke.

It was a tech free zone, there were no social media interruptions,
OH wasn’t watching the golf on the iPad whilst also watching TV. We were
absorbed in the film and in each other. It was a really relaxed, chilled
evening, one that we deserved after a fun, hot and tiring weekend.

Thanks MoneySupermarket for giving us the £50 budget to blow on whatever we wanted!

Friday, 5 July 2013

LAUNCHING IN THE UK, Little Us is a brand new range of enchanting dolls for pre-school girls, each one with her own unique personality. These adorable soft dolls will soon become the must have under arm toy with girls choosing the doll that is ‘most like me’.

Let your child begin the delightful Little Us story by identifying with one the girls – maybe it will be Chloe who likes everything pink, or Amelia who loves animals and reading, or perhaps it will be Ruby who’s just a little bit cheeky, or finally Millie, the tomboy of the group!

Measuring approximately 12” high and made from the softest plush material, the dolls are so huggable they are perfect for young children as their first doll. The dolls are ideal as a snug companion for play or sleep time and will encourage creative imaginative role play.

Isla was sent a Little Us doll to give her opinion on it. I chose Chloe for her as Isla is very much into pink like a lot of girls her age. It's a really well made doll and perfect size for carrying around (my children both carry a toy ALL the time) and as soon as she got Chloe she was fastened in her toy buggy and was pushed around the house. Chloe has become a regular part of Isla's toy entourage now and has been elevated to sleeping companion. I asked her why she liked Chloe and she said "because she wears pink!", with a tone of disdain, it's obvious Mum!

I'm giving you a chance to win a Little Us Doll. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!

Read the Little Us stories and follow their adventures on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/LittleUsdollsDolls will be available to purchase from Harrods, Hamleys, Asda.com and Debenhams.com RRP £9.99.

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

So lately we’ve had quite a few little funny conversations and incidents, Noah has picked up OH's habit of saying "for pete's sake", which sounds rather too cute and is always in context! And Isla is full of lots of cheekiness at the moment, with her favourite insult being "Boo-Boo Chicken Face"......The one incident that sticks topmost in my mind is this one:

We’re on the bus to ballet, Isla is sitting next to me and an elderly man and woman get on. I don’t notice their faces but Isla does and asks me, “why’s that man so sad?” (obviously loud enough for most of the bus to hear – except for the man in question, thank god!). I didn’t see him, but after a minute or two I turned round to look and admittedly he does seem to have one of those naturally sad looking faces, very down turned mouth and sad eyes. He doesn’t seem sad at all (he’s talking very animatedly with the lady) but it’s just his expression that Isla has taken to mean he is sad. Just to make sure that I understand what she means she then goes on to pull lots of sad looking faces to demonstrate a sad face…..at this point I had to take a photo.

As the man got off the bus he was talking to the lady he got on with and he no longer looks as sad, Isla seemed really relieved by it and told me “That man’s not sad anymore”…….

We’ve also been battling with Noah over his nightly milk consumption and we decided a fortnight ago that it needed to stop. An almost 2 year old does not need milk during the night! It has stopped you’ll be pleased to hear but we had a hellish 3 or 4 days where it was literally cold turkey for him and a full 90 minutes at about 1am with a battle of our will against his. The second night that we were doing this, I dealt with his screaming and crying very calmly and just tried to talk him down and get him back to sleep. He could try the patience of a saint though, bear in mind that it’s 1am, this is a small excerpt of his random requests, starting off with the obvious one:

“I WANT MILK”

“I WANT MILK”

Me: You can’t have milk, here’s some water if you’re thirsty

“I WANT MILK IN BOTTLE” (we cut out bottles at the same time as cutting the milk)

“I NOT WANT BEAKER”

“I NOT WANT WATER, NOT LIKE WATER”

“I NOT WANT WATER, NEVER, EVER, ANYMORE!”

Me: Well that’s all you can have I’m afraid (gritting my teeth at this point)

Then things went crazy and even though I was tired, I did want to giggle at these requests:

“I WANT GO IN GARDEN” (It’s 1am, I don’t think so)

“I WANT GO DOWNSTAIRS” (not a chance)

“I WANT BISCUIT” (most definitely not)

Intermittently there was a return to the milk request. Met with a firm no.

Then we have a conversation about the dustbin men, as he loves watching them out the window on Monday mornings. I explain calmly (although finding it hard to stay calm by this point) that it’s actually Wednesday and it’s around 1.30am by now and I don’t think they come at this time. Then we chatted about going to the park. Then we go back to the milk thing.

“I WANT MILK, I NOT WANT WATER” This repeats for about 20 minutes

“NOT WANT WATER”

“WANT WATER” – I nearly fall over at the shock that perhaps he’s serious and he wants water, give him water, he conks out and I go back to sleep.

It was a hard week. I’m not going to lie but it has led to him sleeping through the night now and after a full 6 nights of sleeping through I feel confident that it’s dealt with. Thank the Lord!

Monday, 1 July 2013

LolliBop, the UK’s biggest day out for kids, has announced CBeebies Superstar Justin Fletcher will be performing at this year’s event.

Taking place in its brand new home, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the BAFTA –award winning star of CBeebies will be performing live for LolliBoppers on Saturday August 17 and Sunday August 18.

Justin Live! promises an all singing, all dancing extravaganza guaranteed to bring the house down.

LolliBop’s event manager, Jenny Kane said: “Justin Fletcher is top of the charts when it comes to kids entertainment and our new venue deserves to host the number one superstar of CBeebies. We’re delighted Justin is able to be a part of LolliBop 2013.”

The all-mouse reggae band, Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew, are also confirmed for Friday August 16, as part of a busy summer touring the nation. Last seen at LolliBop 2011, the cool, mystery-solving mouse will be back on stage performing his latest hits for fans throughout the day.

Another new addition to the LolliBop 2013 line up is everyone's favourite postman, Postman Pat and of course, Britain's most famous black and white cat, Jess! They will be at the festival over the three days meeting pint sized festival goers.

LolliBop promises all the fun of a festival without the hassle of camping. With an incredible line up, all aimed at children under the age of 10, LolliBop combines the hottest names in kids entertainment, as well of hundreds of activities, workshops and interactive areas.

The 2013 programme also includes Dick and Dom, Skylanders, Science Museum Live, Cloudbabies, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Peppa Pig, Poppy Cat, the Wot Wots, Transformers, The Go! Go! Go! Show, the Mr Men and Little Miss Village Green Event and Shaun the Sheep’s Championsheeps. LolliBop's live theatre tent – The Lollipalladiam - showcases performances from pioneering and internationally renowned companies and artists. There is also a brand new Discovery Zone, Meadows area, Enchanted Woods, Lolli Promenade and much more.